Franklin County's West Franklin Regional Industrial Park has received the Alabama AdvantageSite designation, which officials hope will help the area recruit jobs related to the Toyota auto plant in Mississippi.

The 55-acre site, located in Red Bay, will help give the region an edge as it competes for supplier business related to the Tupelo plant and other industry, said Red Bay Mayor Bobby Forsythe and Franklin County Development Authority Executive Director Mitch Mays.

The AdvantageSite designation means the property has met a certain set of criteria related to size, zoning, accessibility, infrastructure and other factors. It is geared toward having prepared sites for industrial prospects.

Coordinated by the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, the program is sponsored by the Alabama Department of Commerce, Alabama Gas Corp., Alabama Power Co., the North Alabama Industrial Development Association and PowerSouth Energy Cooperative.

The application process for the Red Bay site was managed locally by the Franklin County Development Authority.

Thirteen projects have located on sites with AdvantageSite designations since the program’s inception in 2008. They represent more than 2,900 new jobs and $597 million in capital investments.